The present invention relates to an intelligent shared resource system for word processing and data processing systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to an intelligent shared resource system for enabling multiple word processing and data processing systems to share remote high performance/speed peripheral devices wherein the intelligence for making requests is retained at the word processing and data processing systems.
Many systems and approaches have been developed to enable distributed word processing and data processing and sharing of resources such as disk drives and printers within the systems. Most attempts at integrating the various elements of word processing and data processing systems have involved the use of local area networks wherein some degree of the operational intelligence is removed from the individual user stations to the various controllers for ,the high performance resources which are being shared by the network. This is done to free up the network lines so other users can access the network. In such an approach, the user typically indicates that it wants to access a particular resource, the controller at the resource largely performing all of the necessary commands to enable operation including file management and formation of the actual requests of the resource. Accordingly, while the controller is performing these commands the network is available for other users to access the resource or other resources within the system. This approach is particularly suited for use with resource devices or peripherals which have performance/response characteristics which are less than that of the host computers of the user devices or where the interface transfer of data is relatively slow, wherein use thereof requires a substantial amount of system time in terms of word processing and data processing system environments.
Most conventional approaches to distributive processing and resource sharing are relatively expensive and complicated in their implementation due to the additional intelligence and relocation of intelligence required to properly operate the network. Substantial overhead functions are required to coordinate and operate the local network. Each user device typically requires some additional logic or intelligence for determining when the network is available for accessing and the transfer of data. Complicated priority schemes are often required to make sure that certain users are not prevented from accessing the resources.
Most of these approaches for sharing resources are built around the concept that the resource or peripheral device has lesser response/performance characteristics than the user device's host computer. However, these rather complicated network approaches are not necessitated where the host computer of the user device has lesser response/performance characteristics than the resource being accessed. For example, eight bit microcomputers often found in word processing and data processing systems are not as fast or responsive as many hard disk storage devices commonly in use. A simple, relatively inexpensive approach is needed to allow multiple ones of those microcomputers to share a high performance resource such as a hard disk.
The present invention solves these and many other problems associated with existing shared resource systems by, in part, using a much simpler approach for sharing high performance resources.